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Hawaii students lead candidate forum on KFVE- TV
Local nonprofit HawaiiKidsCAN organizes forum with candidates for governor, US Congress
HONOLULU, Hawaii – With primary elections on the horizon, Hawaii students who represent every type of education option—from traditional public to charter, private and home schools— will host a candidate forum on KFVE- TV with major candidates vying for the offices of governor and United States Congress, District 1.
The HawaiiKidsCAN Candidate Forum will air from 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 26 (promo), and from 4 to 5:30 p.m.on Saturday, August 4 (promo). You can watch the forum on KFVE- TV. The forum will also stream live here at www.
The forum was organized by HawaiiKidsCAN, a local nonpartisan, nonprofit organization focused on building an equitable education system for all keiki, while empowering students to speak up and get involved.
“Most of our students aren’t old enough to vote, but they have a critical stake in the future of Hawaii—and the strongest first-hand perspective of how education unfolds day-to-day in our state,” said David Miyashiro, founding executive director of HawaiiKidsCAN.
During the forum, students pose questions to the candidates and each have one minute to respond. Candidate invitations were determined by public polling and prior televised debate appearances. The following hopefuls will appear in this forum:
- Democratic candidates for Governor:
- Colleen Hanabusa
- David Ige
- Republican candidates for Governor:
- John Carroll
- Ray L’Heureux
- Andria Tupola
- Democratic candidates for United States Congress, District 1
- Ed Case
- Doug Chin
- Beth Fukumoto
- Kaniela Ing
- Donna Mercado Kim
- Ernie Martin
The candidate forum is presented by KFVE- TV. “KFVE- TV is proud to be the home for this inspiring candidate forum concept, whereby these articulate and interested keiki, the future leaders of Hawaii, talk directly to candidates for some of the top offices in our state today,” said John Fink, KFVE- TV’s vice president and general manager.
The HawaiiKidsCAN Candidate Forum is intended for educational purposes only, for the public, and is not to be construed as an endorsement of any candidate or political party by HawaiiKidsCAN or KFVE- TV.
“This forum provides a powerful avenue for student voice in policy-making, and gives our keiki a platform to be heard loud-and-clear by prospective leaders,” Miyashiro said. “By lifting their voices, they’ve given their peers a strong message: that kids can and should play a role in our democracy.”
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About HawaiiKidsCAN: Launched in 2017, HawaiiKidsCAN: The Hawaii Campaign for Achievement Now empowers communities with accessible information about our schools, and helps elevate their voices and concerns to build the conditions for all students in Hawaii to thrive. We use research and communications, grassroots organizing and direct advocacy at the statehouse to ensure a more equitable future for our keiki.